| MOBILE SUPPORT
TEAM ONE (C) The Mobile
Support Team (MST), Da Nang functioned as a Branch
of NAD. Its parent command was (Boat Support
Unit ONE, later) Coastal River
Squadron ONE, Coronado, Calif, an integral command
of Naval Inshore-Warfare Command, Pacific. All MST
personnel were Temporary Attached Duty (TAD) to NAD
for a 180-day period. The Mobile Support Team was
composed of the OIC, a Navy Line Lieutenant, and ten
to fifteen enlisted men of various technical rates
commensurate with PTF/PCF craft upkeep and repair.
more here
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Added 09-03-2010 |
HOT STUFF -
Read this recently released comprehensive
description of the use of the PTF in the Vietnam
War from declassified documents of DOD in the
Reading Room. Look down in the document for the
title:
Draft Macsog Documentation Study
Annex D to Appendix C Maritime OPS
or click on the above link. There is a full
discussion of the Vietnam War in the Reading Room.
If the article fails to load
CLICK HERE
for a local copy hosted on the website.
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Our thanks
to
Allen C. LoBean Clayton, GA.
Swift Boat PCF- 15, 75 Crew 120, “W” 1966-68
Gunnermate Gun, I Corps for sharing this
great info. |
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(10-26-2010)
This video clip was
found at the National Archives by Chip
Marshall Click HERE
for the PTF-24 Video full length (20 min .wmv)
no audio
Click HERE
for the PTF-24 Video, boat only (11 min .wmv)
no audio
Click HERE
for the PTF-24 Video, boat only for MACs (11 min
.mp4) no audio |
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(Added 06-01-2010) Rare
photo of PTFs in Cam Rhan Bay Vietnam |
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Our thanks to Allen C. LoBean Clayton, GA.
Swift Boat PCF- 15, 75 Crew 120, “W” 1966-68 Gunnermate Gun, I Corps
for sharing this great info. |
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| Front Page of a Plan
of the day Danang. Sunday, 18 April, 1971 |
Citation for CSS PTF
Crews |
PTF Losses
documented |
Copy
of Orders |
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My tour with
Boat Support Unit - 1/MST-1 from Jan 1964-1967 -
Jim Thomas
In January 1964 I left LCU Div 13 as
the Lead engineer on LCU 1475 and checked in to
NOSGPAC (Naval Operations Support Group Pacific) at
the UDT Compound. I then had a physical, was issued
greens, new boots and other gear. I was then told to
report to SERE (Survival Escape and Evasion) School,
more here
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MST-1 and the PTFs
MST-1, on arrival, began training
the CSS on the PTFs. There
was a great push to become operational. American PTF crews taught
the CSS/PTF crews what they had learned in the States, plus air and
fleet coordination, proper communication procedures, and multiple
boat tactics, gunnery and underway repairs were stressed.
The complete history of the PTF
and more stories from the men that served on them
can be found at
www.ptfnasty.com. |
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Jack Jennings
- Here are some photos from early 1966. I have
attempted to describe them, but after 40 years my
mind is gone!
See Photos Here
(This is
a link to www.ptfnasty.com) |
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DaNang PTF
Base Video clips (mpg) converted from
8mm film. These were probably taken in December
1965. The lower base
(try this if previous fails:
lower base
) could be as late as May of 1966. The
upper base,
(try this if previous fails:
upper base
)
I think, is a Catholic School that sent some
students over to sing for us. Email to
Jim Thomas what you recall when you see these
clips. Lets add to the story about the base. |
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NEW Photos - (10-06) Joe Witmeyer
- Here is a collection of my old photos and
some stories from around
the base at Camp Fay and the PTF docks. Of course
someone had to do the water skiing.
Read More Here. |
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Phil Raccio - I was on the ONE
boat, and the Capt. was MR. KNIGHT. The ONE boat was
the only aluminum hull boat there. That was back in
64. The 4 Packard engines put out 2,500 horse per
engine. We had a crew of 20 originally. When we
where in DaNang the crew was about 10 of us. I
remember the name ROSE, as for me I was well known
as the LITTLE GUINEA. I was an enginemen 3rd class
at that time. Most of my crew are gone, there are a
few I have found, as for the TWO boat, we where
together most of the time, not much later the fast
and nasty's joined in. The 2 boat ran on AV gas
also.
Read More Here. (This
is a link to www.ptfnasty.com) |
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04-11-02 Red Chandler
The Russian PTs had
been given to the Chinese and in one case we
captured a Chinese adviser. The Nungs questioned him
but I don't know what happened to him. Yes the #1
and #2 boats were World War Two boats and they had
three 16 cylinder Packards that burned Av-gas so hot
we could use it in cigarette lighters.
Read More Here
(This is
a link to www.ptfnasty.com) |
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07/09/01 Jerry Chouinard
I was on watch one night (8-12) and we always had
two guys on watch...one in the trailer above pier 2 and
one who roamed around and checked the boats, generators,
etc. Well I was down on Pier 1 about 10-10:30 and I
heard a sound I'd never heard before...whoop, whoop,
whoop, whoop! Then there was a splash about 40 yards
out past the floating dry dock. I ran like hell up
to the watch trailer (heart rate was 300 I think)
and just after I got there, again...whoop, whoop,
whoop. Splash, just off the end of pier 2!!! I
yelled, "go get the duty officer up." Flares were
lighting up the sky all over Monkey Mtn. and I
didn't know what the hell was happening.
Read More Here
(This is
a link to www.ptfnasty.com) |
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Vern Dewitt
see the
photos and his website link here. |
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02/19/02 - Don Goldberg
Once upon a time, the
Vietnamese did not allow US ships into their
territorial waters without a specific clearance.
That changed in March of 1965 when two DDs were
dispatched from the CVAs grouped around what would
later become known as Yankee Station. The
instructions to the two DDs were pretty basic:
establish a barrier patrol at the DMZ. The
destroyers, Black and Higbee, meant just off the
beach. Black put her motor whaleboat with the ops
officer in the water, he motored over to the Higbee
and, in agreement with the ops boss on Higbee,
created a barrier that was ten miles deep and twenty
miles to sea. That was Market Time's first night.
Read More Here
(This is
a link to www.ptfnasty.com) |
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02/23/02 - Al Grobmeier
I was assigned to
MACV-SOG headquarters at Saigon from 10 Jun 65 to 8
Jun 66, and was aboard several of the PTFs at the
Naval Advisory Detachment, Danang on 23 Jun 65.
During my year in Vietnam we lost the following PTFs:
PTF 4 by grounding on 4 Nov 65. Destroyed by USN
aircraft. PTF 9 lost 8 Mar 66. PTF 14 and PTF 15
lost by grounding 23 Apr 66. Destroyed by USN
aircraft. PTF 8 on 16 Jun 66 (after I had departed)
PTF 16 on 19 Aug 66 (after I had departed) During
the year I was in Vietnam, no PTFs were lost due to
enemy action. However, several PCFs with
same/similar numbers were lost to the enemy during
that year. The Sea Classics article claims that PTF
3 was part of the CIA's Sacred Sword of the Patriots
League which may have been true until the military
took over under OPLAN 34-A in January 1964 but
certainly not after SOG's takeover.
Read More Here
(This is
a link to www.ptfnasty.com) |
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Ngo Xuan Hung
- Thank you so much for adding
link to
Colonel Ngo The Linh website. I would like to
confirm that it was Colonel Linh and William Colby
who started commandos missions by the sea since
1959, then later Colonel Linh and SOG (1964) founded
Coastal Security Service (So Phong Ve Duyen Hai -SPVZH).
He was the founder and first commander of CSS and
formed the Sea Commando Teams - Luc Luong Biet Hai
in 1964 (original team trained in Nha Trang in 1960
for sea command missions under CIA).
Beside running the spy network and commando teams to
the North by air and by sea, Colonel Ngo was also
instrumental in forming Earth Angles (North
Vietnamese Ralliers), Sacred Sword Patriots League
and other spyops with LTC McKnight and Colonel
Sadler & Colonel Singlaub.
Please help me in honoring all American and
Vietnamese who fought so hard and made so much
sacrifice in CSS and NAD (Commander Fay, Tougleman,
and others). |
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08/18/00 - Tom Huston
"Spanish beach" was a USNAD/MST private "training
area", located about 1km from the upper base, i.e.
not too far from the deep water piers at the end of
the Ten Sha peninsula It consisted of a bar, beach,
women for rent etc. We spent Sunday afternoon's
there, BBQ, drinking, swimming, diving, ski boat,
and renting some of those women. Mickey Mouth (and
all that that implied) chewed Bethel nut so her
teeth were black and the gums and lips bright red!..
YUK, No one ever admitted to "renting" Mickey,
but........
Read More Here (This is
a link to www.ptfnasty.com) |
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04/02/00 - Mark Tondel I
was an ET3 on the PTF-3 when we first started back
in Norfolk. The first two boats were the PTF-3 & 4.
I would like to find out any info you might have on
them and any info on any of my crew mates should you
have that.
Read More Here (This is
a link to www.ptfnasty.com) |
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07/06/02 Robert Tucker
MST did the maintenance on the PTF’s/PCF’s and did
an outstanding job in my personal opinion. The MST
shipmates rotated back to the states every six
months, which the NAD personnel took exception to. I
think that some of the operations may still be
classified; therefore, I will have to be careful
here. I have read about the Plowman Missions that I
participated in so I think that this is a safe area.
The PTF’s were used on these missions from Danang
north to the 17th parallel. I also participated in
coastal search and destroy missions on PTF’s in “I
Corps” south of Danang, and PCF search and destroy
missions with the insertion of teams in “I Corps”.
Read More Here (This is
a link to www.ptfnasty.com) |
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03/07/00 - Cam Tran
I was a PTF skipper at Danang (NAD/CSS - Naval
Advisory Detachment/Coastal Security Services) from
1965 - 1970. During that time, I've worked very
close with MST personnel. I still remember one of
the guys is Del Catron. And do you remember the
Rendez-vous club at Son Cha - Danang? I still keep
the "Zippo" lighter with a SOG logo engraved on it!
Read More Here (This is
a link to www.ptfnasty.com) |
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04/04/00 John Waugh I
HAVE SOME INFORMATION ON THE TWO BOATS THAT NO ONE
REALLY HAS TALKED ABOUT. THAT IS THE ONE AND TWO
BOATS. I HAVE NEVER SEEN THEM BUT I TALKED TO SOME
OF THE ORIGINAL CREWS WHO RODE THEM AND THE STORY
GOES THAT THE ONE AND TWO BOAT WERE NOT NASTYS AT
ALL, THEY WERE LEFT OVER PT BOATS FROM THE END OF
WW2. THEY WERE 110 FEET LONG AND HAD FOUR V12 GAS
ENGINES AND WERE A ENGINE MAN DREAM OR NIGHTMARE
DEPENDS ON HOW YOU LOOK AT IT
Read More Here (This is
a link to www.ptfnasty.com) |
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Ralph Pauley - Does anyone
remember the mission that we went on to salvage a
PTF up North that had the bow blown off? We had to
use p250 pumps to get the water out, then towed the
boat 60 miles back to DaNang. We then tried to get
the boat into the portable dry dock, but because of
water in the belly of boat it tilted and a boatsman
fell from up on the top and was cut up really bad.
Read More Here.
(This is a link to www.ptfnasty.com) |
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| ROBERT E.
"BOB" NOWLIN (USED TO BE GMG 2)
- I WAS WITH BSU-1 FROM 12 AUG 69 TO 6 MAY
71. WAS IN NAM AT SON ONG DOC AND AT
SEAFLOAT FROM 18 DEC 69 TO 17 JUN 70 WITH
MST 2 DET "C".
Read More Here.
(This is a link to www.ptfnasty.com)
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04-27-08
Robert G. Buckman., EM2 ; MST-1Danang, June
71-Dec. 71. I was in Danang Oct 71 when typhoon
Hester hit us and PTFs 6&7, a PCF and a push boat
were sunk at the piers. They were raised and
salvaged then sent to Subic for repair on the USS
Cleveland (I went along). The tidal surge was so
much it would push the fenders out and then the boat
would hit the steel pier and bust the sides in. The
VNs all took off and we lost power on the piers so
no pumps could be used. The lower base lost all of
the power lines, several tin roofs and some windows
were blown out. It was on Sat. and Sun., as I
remember and the boats sunk late Sun. night or Mon
morning. Across the harbor the VNs lost 6 or 8
coastal boats that were blown upon the rocks. |
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This information is
probably already be somewhere on the Warboats
pages but I haven't found it yet.
The
three Swifts at DaNang were purchased off the
shelf and given minimum modifications. As they
were CIA purchases, there was no BuShips number
plate on the stern such as was present on all
PCF.
Swift
was not a reference to speed, but was the
builder's design designation, just as the design
for PTF 23 - 26 was designated
Osprey.
Sewart Seacraft used marine bird names for their
designs at that time.
The
DaNang Swifts were, indeed, Swifts and not PCF.
The only readily visible marking, at least in
1969 and 1970, consisted of a white dot or dots
painted on the
inside
of the rear cabin door, and was visible only
when the door was latched open. The number of
dots corresponded to the number originally
assigned to the boat at the time they entered
CIA service.
As they were intended
for hit and run raids and not for patrol work,
they did not require the amenities fitted to the
PCF built for the USN. Without the extra weight
of the amenities, they were somewhat faster than
the PCF despite having less powerful engines.
When I used a PTF
(American crew) to escort two of the Swifts to
Cam Ranh Bay to set up a SCAT winter FOB, the
resident round eyes were amazed to see the CSS
crews washing the boats down and cleaning and
oiling the guns before securing for chow.
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Typhoon Ester hits
DaNang - Photos Here |
10-29-08
Bob Lindahn
- I was attached to MST-1 (later it was
changed to CRS-1) in the early 70's. I was a
Hulltech/diver for our unit in Da Nang from
1971-1972 when typhoon Ester came rolling
thru. I have some black and white photos of
the damaged PT's and a few shots around the
lower base. Are you interested in them for
on your web site? Thank you for the site by
the way, there is not much written about
MST, CRS or the PT boats. Thanks again, Bob
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(Added 10-12-2011)
Donald Colvard an original PTF-3 crewman. |
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Repairing Hole in Bottom of PTF-3 |
with engine room Patch off you can see the two 18
cylinder turbo Charged Napier Deltic engines, and
into control room window |
Don Corvard and J.D against 20mm note PTF-3 name
tape and Patch on uniforms |
Don Corvard and Mascot "Duke" in Back Ground J.D.
and behind 40mmm our Rebel Flag
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News paper clipping about Judo class everyone on
boat took in Olongapo Philippines ..The whole PTF-3
crew listed |
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Insignia: shoulder flash for dress blues and Patch
for fatigue greens. |
Pulling into Pearl Harbor HI. Spic and Span and in
Dungarees, I'm on stern. Guys in Greens are UDT-12
frogmen. |
We used this small boat for mail and other runs, but
it broke down and we're pulling it back with the
Mike-6.
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Beautiful stern shot study of PTF-3. |
Christmas in the Philippines, probably 1963. Notice
the boats X-mas tree wreaths and lights. Notice
Don's
green uniform with PTF-3 Patch and name tape. |
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This was from my second deployment.
McCormick, Armstrong and Charlie Quick a BM from
PTF-4 |
Douglass Steele Best Boss I ever had |
The Mike -6 boat in Da Nang River, used to move and
haul supplies. Note the Viet "Eyes" painted on Bow. |
This was Do Do Island, the Prisoner of War island,
we took supplies out to the
island in the Mike-6. Me, Charlie Quick, and Bill
Mount. |
My Barracks Da Nang second tour |
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Repairing Hole in Bottom of PTF-3
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with engine room Patch off you can see the two 18
cylinder turbo Charged Napier Deltic engines, and
into control room window |
Don Corvald and J.D against 20mm note PTF-3 name
tape and Patch on uniforms
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Don Corvald and Mascot "Duke" in Back Ground J.D.
and behind 40mmm our Rebel Flag
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News paper clipping about Judo class everyone on
boat took in Olongapo Philippines ..The whole PTF-3
crew listed |
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Insignia: shoulder flash for dress blues and Patch
for fatigue greens
(Dan also
put this in Patch collection please) |
Pulling into Pearl Harbor Hi. Spic and Span and in
Dungarees, I'm on stern. Guys in Greens are UDT-12
frogmen. |
We used this small boat for mail and other runs.. but
it broke down and were pulling it back with the
Mike-6 |
Don Colvard re-united with PTF-3 after almost 50
years. |
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